Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-20


promise Of me that l would aid in organ
izing and leading the women of the city
IN their difficult battle, and, IL possible
change the tide OF affairs. Into this WORK
| came. The women rallied at my cal
and worked with zeal and might anC
! wisdom that resulted in putting 222t
names of women on the registration books
over and against 1918 men.
AT FIRST THE ADMINISTRATION
hurled only contempt, ridicule and false
hood at the newly qualified electors, but
when each day developed the long list
of new names on the books the Whisky
Alliance became alarmed. They then
issued cringing circulars to "lady voters"
pleading for their support and begging
them not 10 follow "a Granger that did
pot own one dollars worth of property in
the city," raising cry Of "hOme rule"
! Unfinching ana undivided still stood my
noble troops, making house to house can
vass, urging all women regardless
of race, color or condition, to use their
new privilege. With dismay the Whisky
Alliance watched the "WOmen'S TegistTa-
ton" and held meetings finally to decide
! how to get rid of that woman from H.
diana" For eighteen days l delivered
| lectures each afternoon and evening to
audiences limited in size only by the ca
| pacity Of the building to hold them.
Ministers of every denomination were
! in hearty accord, and l went from the
! humblest chapel, On the outskirts, to the
| largest and most fashionable down town
churches. l addressed the Knights of
Labor in their lodges as well as in public
gatherings with their families. These
men saw
THE RELATION OF THE BALLOT
/ in the hands of their wives to labor ques-
ton, as we'll as their own hands, and by
the hundreds became earnest friends of
woman suffrage. have never seen con-
versions more rapid or more enthusiastic
than among the knights, class heretofore
difficult to reach upon this question. The
registration of these wives maddened the
slums, and more desperate means had to
be resorle ed to get rid of "that uncertain
element just entering politics." as the
women voters were called.
A system of sCurrlOus falsehOOd and
Misrepresentation of my WORK, and that
of the women, was begun through the
local Democratic press and the Kansas
City Times which has considerable circu-
latiOn in the city, as well as being tele-
of like political faith.
Women have long since learned the
weapons of this INSCRIPTIONS element
and ere not easily frightened from good
works by them. Not woman left our
ranks. Finally secret circulars, in Polish
and German, were sent among these
classes, whose language could not speak,
informing them that |, stranger, was
70 80 i2jp 4 rIlo 70
VOTE BEER AND RIGHTS AWAY
from all fOreign-born women" and urg-
ing said Poles and Germans to register,
the alliance Offering to pay the expenses
of naturalization papers. Consequently
about three hundred and fifty ofthese WO-
men registered. ICounteraCted this false
hood as far as possible by issuing pamph-
lets and circu ars in German, and sowing
the city knee deep with temperance liter
ature. AS II to seek the very depths of
nfamy, the seven licensed brothel- keepers
with their twenty-seven inmates, were put
into "Neely hacks" and the jail was IN
locked and the inmates registered.
In our work for law and order we had
the most aggressive and powerful support
of the Times, the great Republican daily
paper hat is a power not only locally,
but in state and nation under the strong
ownership and daring, brilliant, aggres
sive, and far-seelng Colonel d. r.
Anthony, brother of his well-known sister.
The alliance boycotted the Times. This
move only made the Times the more fear
less, and the tops were literally taken of
the dens Of deceit and infamy and the
sunlight of truth let in.
| took great care that no personalities
should mar the women's work, but the
great arguments of justice and sobriety,
law and order alone should be the
weapons, with ballots that our special
hosts should WELD.
DRIVEN TO DESPERATION
ct the enfranchised women, SANDER was
their next refuge. This they must hurI at
me to destroymy influence with women
before election day. One [nsley, whose
father was banker and deeply concerned
in the jobs and rings of the city,
telegraphed to my home for my
"recOrd." He got il in such strong and
complimentary terms that the $l.68, he
paid for the dispatch was worse than lost
to his purpose. Stung at the failure of all
attempts to ''get rid of that Indiana Wo-
man." and thereby divide the ranks Of
women, they secured the services of
purpOlted reporter OF the New YORK World
and St Louis Post-Dispatch to interview
me on the general subject of suffrage work
in the state. A pleasant conversation Of
one hour took place in the presence Of
my host Colonel D. R. Anthony
and family. Only words of praise
of Leavenworth women were spoken.
He went away. He published
to the world, in the Kansas City
Times and other whisky sheets, that had
declared "Leavenworth women frightfully
immoral and the trading in wives of COM
mon occurrence" This came like a
whirlwind into the community just the
day before the election. 1t was only
in q column
OF VILE SANDER AND LIBEL
of the whole cause of temperance, and
law, and order. The most intense excite
ment prevailed. l had the young Gus
Thomas reporter under arrest for crimi-
nal libel in less than two hours after the
Times had appeared on the streets, and
denying his statement scatter
ed over the city, thus destroying the
plot brought about by such foul
means to break the ranks of the new
voters. If woman suffrage means any
thing il is that the usual methods of cam